


Sacrifice

by LibraryMage



Series: Break Your Chains [12]
Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Autistic Character, Autistic Ezra Bridger, Autistic Sabine Wren, Father-Son Relationship, Force Bond (Star Wars), Found Family, Gen, Major Character Injury, Master & Padawan Relationship(s), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Team as Family, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-21
Updated: 2017-11-21
Packaged: 2019-02-04 21:35:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12779988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LibraryMage/pseuds/LibraryMage
Summary: The Ghost crew launch their attack on the Imperial communications tower.  Things don't go according to plan.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning for: Force-assisted mental manipulation; references to past child abuse

Ezra’s eyes snapped open as a chill spread over him.  He couldn’t have explained it if someone had asked him, but _something_ didn’t feel right.  After a moment, he closed his eyes again.  It was probably just cold, he reasoned, not anything to worry about.  Just as he was beginning to drift off, he felt it again, that barely-noticeable chill, and something else, like an echo in the back of his mind.

_Ezra._

_Master?_

Ezra winced as he thought the word.  Maul wasn’t his master.  Not anymore.

_Ezra._

“No,” Ezra muttered.  He pulled the blanket up over his head as if that would block out the feeling.  He was so tired he was imagining things, that’s all this was.  There was no need to keep thinking about it, no need to bother Kanan with it.  It could wait until morning.

But that icy cold feeling in the back of his head just wouldn’t go away and Ezra couldn’t shake the almost-feeling that he was being watched.  He lay there, trying to push that feeling out his mind, hoping it would just go away on its own, until he couldn’t do it any longer.

He quickly sat up and dropped from his bunk.  He crept out into the hallway and hesitated for a moment before softly knocking on Kanan’s door.  Part of him hoped Kanan wouldn’t hear him, wouldn’t open the door, and he’d have an excuse to go back to his bunk and not say anything.  A much more insistent part of him _needed_ Kanan to open the door.

A few seconds later, the door did slide open to reveal Kanan, his hair disheveled from sleep.

“I’m sorry,” Ezra said.  “I just…something happened, and I thought I could wait until morning to tell you, but now --”

Kanan stepped aside, letting Ezra enter the room.

“What’s wrong?” Kanan asked as the door slid shut.

“It’s Maul,” Ezra said, sitting down on the edge of the bunk.  Kanan sat down beside him.

“You having dreams about him again?” Kanan asked.

“It’s not that,” Ezra said.  “It’s…I’m not hearing him, exactly.  I just feel him in my head.  It’s like --”

He stopped and furiously wracked his brain for the right words to describe it.

“It’s like something’s reaching into my mind, and it feels like _him_ and…” he sighed in frustration.  “I don’t know.”

Ezra kicked his heels lightly against the edge of the bunk and looked down at the floor.

“I’m scared,” he said, his voice quiet.  “I told you, he’s not going to stop until he gets me away from you.”

“And I told you, I won't let that happen,” Kanan said.

But he knew Ezra wasn’t convinced he could keep that promise, and truth be told, he wasn’t convinced himself, either.  So Kanan did the only thing he could think of to truly comfort the kid.  He opened his arms in a silent invitation.  In a second, Ezra was huddled against Kanan’s side, letting his master hold him, clinging tightly to him.

It had taken Kanan much longer than he was proud of to realize that Ezra was starved for physical contact, and that he probably hadn’t gotten much over the years that wasn’t violent.  There wasn’t much Kanan could do to stop Ezra from feeling Maul in his head, but he _could_ do this.

As Kanan held his apprentice, he ran a hand through the boy’s hair.  Pressed against his side, Kanan’s arms and presence in the Force wrapped around him, covering him like a shield, Ezra seemed so much like a kid.  It was moments like this that were painful reminders to Kanan of just how young Ezra was and how much he’d been put through already.

“You haven’t been held by anyone in a long time, have you?” Kanan asked.

Ezra shook his head.  “It’s not like every time he touched me, he was hurting me,” he said.  “Never held me, though.”  He tripped over the world “held,” like he wasn’t sure he was even supposed to be saying it.

“Good,” Kanan said, realizing too late that Ezra could take that the wrong way.

“I’m sorry,” he said.  “I didn’t mean --”

“It’s okay,” Ezra said.  “I get what you meant.”

“I’m glad,” Kanan said.  “But I’m still sorry.  You deserved better than that.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Ezra said.

“Okay,” Kanan said, his arms tightening around Ezra’s shoulders for a second.  “We don’t have to.  You should try and get some sleep, anyway.  We have to prep for that op tomorrow.”

“I don’t know if I can,” Ezra said.  “Every time I close my eyes, he’s there again.”

“The top bunk here is open if you want it,” Kanan said.  “If you get scared, I’ll be right there.”

When Ezra didn’t say anything, Kanan took charge of the situation.

“Come on,” he said, releasing Ezra and standing up, nudging the boy to his feet.  “You need to sleep, at least for a little while.  If you need me, I’ll be right here.”

Ezra gave a small, hesitant nod, reluctant to accept Kanan’s offer.  He had stopped needing to spend the night in his parents’ room years before they were arrested.  Needing to be so close to Kanan made him feel like a little kid again, and not in a good way.

Still, Ezra climbed onto the top bunk.  As he lay down, Kanan reached up and took his hand for a moment.

“He can’t hurt you here,” Kanan said.  Ezra didn’t respond, knowing Kanan couldn’t protect him forever.

Kanan let go of Ezra’s hand and retreated to the lower bunk.  Ezra closed his eyes and focused on the sound of Kanan’s breathing.  As he did, he heard and felt nothing wrong.  Maybe he really _did_ just need to be near Kanan.  Maybe everything would be okay now.

But just as he was drifting off, he heard it again.

_Ezra._

“No,” he muttered.  He realized too late that he’d spoken out loud.

“I’m right here,” Kanan said.  “You’re safe.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning for: Force-assisted mental manipulation; death (hypothetical)

The next day, Ezra, Kanan, and Sabine left the ship just after dawn to case the communications tower in preparation for their attack.  If anyone noticed that Ezra had spent the night in Kanan’s room, they didn’t say anything, though Kanan himself seemed to be paying close attention to him.  Ezra wondered if the reason he was being brought along on recon was so that Kanan could keep an eye on him.

Whatever the reason for Ezra’s inclusion in the mission, he found himself perched on an arch above the road that led to the tower with Kanan and Sabine on either side of him.

“I got bucketheads on the perimeter,” Sabine said as she scanned the base of the tower with her helmet’s macrobinoculars.  “At least three anti-ship batteries around the base.  Not an easy trip to the front door.”

Ezra tried to focus on the sound of her voice, but anxiety scratched away inside his head.  He should be on the lookout for _something_ , but he didn’t know what.  He looked back over his shoulder, like he thought he would actually see someone, but of course, no one was there.

“What happens if we get there?” Kanan asked.

“I could upload a data spike into the central computer and have the transmitter operational in --” Sabine paused for a moment as she ran through the process in her head.  “I don’t know, five minutes?”

“Three is better,” Kanan said.

“You can have it good or you can have it fast,” Sabine told him, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

“Just scan us a holomap and let’s get out of here,” Kanan said.  “We’ll work out the details back at home.”

As Sabine followed his instructions, Kanan nudged Ezra.

“You still here?” he asked.  Ezra nodded.

“It’s nothing,” he said.  “Just a little on edge.  Something doesn’t feel right.”

As he said it, he heard the distant _hum_ of a speeder.  He and Kanan both looked up to see the source of the sound leaving the tower and heading straight toward them.  As the speeder drew closer to their position, something dropped off the back of it and began to hover in the air.  An Imperial probe droid.

The three of them ducked down, pressing themselves flat against the arch as the droid hovered over the road beneath them.  As they waited, Ezra felt a chill spread up his spine like cold metal running over his skin.

“Kanan,” he gasped.  “I think he’s -- something's wrong.”

On impulse, Ezra moved to sit up, looking over his shoulder.  Kanan put a hand on Ezra’s back, keeping him down.

“Quiet,” Kanan whispered.  “You don’t want that thing hearing us.”

“I’m sorry,” Ezra muttered.

“He’s not here,” Kanan said quietly.  But that icy cold feeling had settled into Ezra’s bones, spreading through his veins, and not even Kanan’s warm, comforting hand on his shoulder could hold it back.

“Guys,” Sabine hissed, “we need to move.”

“The bikes,” Ezra said.  “That thing’ll see them.”

“Hope somebody’s got an idea or this whole plan is shot,” Sabine said.

As she spoke, Ezra felt it at the edge of his mind, that familiar feeling like sparks jumping out of a fire.  He closed his eyes and reached out toward the source of it.  The Loth-cat was chasing something trough the grass, but broke off its hunt at Ezra’s mental nudge.

 _This thing’s gonna cause a lot of trouble for both of us,_ he thought.  _Help me._

The cat leapt from the grass and landed on top of the droid, hissing furiously and clawing at the metal.  The droid veered off course and crashed into the guardrail at the edge of the road.  The cat jumped back to the ground at delivered one more vicious swipe to the droid’s eye before dashing back into the grass.

“I could’ve blasted it and gotten that result,” Sabine said, gesturing to the wreckage of the droid.

“Yeah, but then the Empire would’ve suspected something was up,” Ezra said.

“Good thinking, padawan,” Kanan said with a smile.

Ezra couldn’t see Sabine’s face under her helmet, but he could practically feel her rolling her eyes.

“Okay, it’s touching when you two bond,” she said, “but I’m betting that droid has friends, so let’s move it.”

They slid down off the arch and sprinted for the bikes.  As they sped off toward the _Ghost_ , none of them looked back to see the glowing light blinking just below the droid’s eye.

* * *

 

_Ezra._

Ezra’s hands froze, the wires of the transmitter falling from his fingers to land on the table.

_Ezra, run._

“No,” Ezra muttered, gritting his teeth as he picked up the wires again.

“Something wrong?” Kanan asked.

“It’s nothing,” Ezra said as he shut the access panel on the side of the transmitter.  “It’s done.  Assuming this works, we’ll be able to transmit directly through the tower once Sabine drops her spike.”

Ezra kept his gaze down, but he could sense Kanan’s eyes on him and feel his spike of concern.

“Let’s take a walk,” Kanan said.  Ezra silently stood up and followed him.

Kanan led him down the ramp, safely out of earshot of the others.

“What’s on your mind?” he asked.

“It’s nothing,” Ezra said.  “I just have a bad feeling about…something.  I don’t know if it’s the op or something else.”

He looked up at Kanan.

“Maybe we shouldn’t go through with this,” he said.

“Ezra, I know you can do this,” Kanan said.  “We’ll be okay.  In and out, three minutes.”

“I just feel like something is gonna go wrong,” Ezra said.

“There’s always a risk that something will go wrong,” Kanan said, “but that’s never stopped you before.”

Ezra crossed his arms and leaned against the edge of the open hatch, averting his gaze from Kanan.

“Is there something else going on?” Kanan asked.

“I keep hearing him,” Ezra said.  “And feeling him.  I don’t know what he’s trying to do, but just now, I heard him telling me to run.”

“Ezra, you can’t listen to him,” Kanan said.  “He’s probably trying to scare you.”

“I know,” Ezra said, “it’s just…it’s working.”

“Hey,” Kanan said, putting his hand on Ezra’s shoulder.  Ezra flinched.

“Sorry,” Kanan said, pulling his hand back.  “I won't let anything happen to you.”

“It’s not me I’m worried about,” Ezra said.  “I don’t want to lose you.  Any of you.  Not over this.”

“You won't.”

“You don’t know that,” Ezra said.

“You’re right,” Kanan said.  “I don’t know that.  But what I do know is that no matter how scared any of us are of losing each other, we can’t let that stop us.  What we’re trying to do is bigger than any of us, and we have to be ready to make sacrifices for it.”

Ezra scuffed the toe of his boot against the ramp.  What was wrong with him?  He knew they had to make sacrifices.  He knew he had to be willing to do whatever it took to cause as much damage to the Empire as he could.  He knew that in the end, all the pain and loss would be worth it.  He’d always known that.  So why was he suddenly terrified of the idea of another loss and the pain that would come with it?

“It’s almost sunset,” Kanan said, jolting Ezra out of his thoughts.  “Are you ready?”

Ezra nodded.

“Always,” he said.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning for: canon-typical violence; injury to a child (not major/graphic)

Sabine took the lead, speeding toward the tower with a tank of fuel strapped to the back of her bike.  She leapt from the bike, rolling as she hit the ground, letting the speeder slam into one of the anti-ship guns.  The fuel tank ignited, tearing through the gun’s outer shell and throwing the trooper manning it away from the blast, his armor scorched and twisted from the heat.

Sabine stood up, firing two shots, hitting two other stormtroopers, who dropped to the ground just as Kanan, Ezra, and Zeb arrived.  Zeb leapt at the stormtrooper manning another one of the guns, throwing them to the ground and taking control of the gun.

Sabine ran for the door, Kanan and Ezra close behind her.  Ezra stayed outside as Kanan followed Sabine through the door to deal with the stormtroopers inside the tower.  In the distance, Ezra could see three crafts in the night sky, the bright beams of searchlights emanating from them.  Imperials.  Kanan ran through the door, coming to a halt beside Ezra, his eyes fixed on the two troop transports speeding down the road toward the tower.

“How is this possible?” Kanan asked.  “How could they get here this fast unless --”

“They knew,” Ezra said, finishing his thought.

“Sabine!” Kanan called into his comm.  “We’ve got targets incoming.  Let’s move!”

_“You said I’d get three minutes,”_ Sabine said.

“Well, now you get one.”

“What do we do?” Ezra asked.

“Get Zeb,” Kanan told him.  As Ezra leapt onto one of the speeder bikes and raced toward Zeb, Kanan spoke into his comm again.

“Spectre Two, change of plans,” he said.  “You can’t get to us on the ground.  Meet us up top.”

_“Copy that,”_ Hera said.

Sabine came running out of the tower just as Ezra pulled up beside Kanan, Zeb on the back of his bike.  Kanan stopped Sabine with a hand on her shoulder.

“Not this way,” he said.  “Back inside.”

“Are you crazy?” she asked as he pushed her back through the door.

“Take the lift,” Kanan said.  “Hera’ll meet you at the top.”

“What about you?” Sabine asked.

“I’ll buy you some time,” Kanan said.

“I’m staying,” Ezra said.

“Ezra --”

“You can’t fight off all of them alone,” Ezra said.  “I’m not leaving you.”

Ezra knew Kanan was about to argue and order him to go, but he wasn’t about to give him the chance.  Ezra pushed through the Force, sending Zeb and Sabine stumbling into the tower before he reached back and hit the switch to seal the door.

“Should’ve done that to you,” Kanan said as he ignited his lightsaber.

“Next time,” Ezra said.  He looked back over his shoulder at the door.  He could only hope Sabine and Zeb would take the lift and go instead of trying to help.

The two ground transports stopped, blocking the road, and Agent Kallus stepped out of one of them.  Ezra ignited his lightsaber, the glow of the red blade cutting through the darkness.

“This is a familiar situation,” Kallus said as he approached.

“Same situation, same ending,” Kanan said.  “You lose.”

“I don’t think so.”  As Kallus spoke, the airborne transports drew closer to the tower.  A figure in black armor dropped from one of them.  The Inquisitor drew his lightsaber, activating one of the blades.

“Stay back,” Kanan said, putting out a hand to stop Ezra from moving forward.  “I’ll handle him.”

“Surrender and you might both survive,” the Inquisitor said.

Kanan looked back over his shoulder, making sure Ezra was out of the way before stabbing his blade into the door’s controls.

“What did you hope to gain by coming here?” the Pau’an asked.

“You’re clever,” Kanan said.  He raised his lightsaber and rushed at the Inquisitor, who blocked Kanan’s attack easily.  “Figure it out.”

As Kanan fought the Inquisitor, a cluster of stormtroopers sprinted toward them, fanning out to surround them.  Ezra raised his lightsaber and began blocking stun shots that flew toward them, trying to save Kanan from having his attention drawn away from his opponent.

Ezra reached out, grabbing hold of one of the stormtroopers through the Force and throwing them into their comrades, knocking three other stormtroopers to the ground.

He heard a shout of pain from behind him and turned to see Kanan on the ground, his lightsaber a few feet away from his hand.

The Inquisitor raised his lightsaber.  Ezra rushed forward, blocking the downward slash aimed at Kanan’s throat, buying Kanan time to call his own weapon back to his hand.  The Inquisitor’s blade slid down the length of Ezra’s.  Ezra disengaged just in time to avoid the worst of the attack, but not fast enough to stop the burning red blade from slashing across the back of his hand.  Ezra cried out as he reflexively let go of his lightsaber.  As the weapon fell to the ground, the Inquisitor reached out one hand and the air around Ezra’s throat tightened as he was lifted off the ground and pulled forward.  The Inquisitor grabbed Ezra out of the air, pinning him against his chest, the blade of his lightsaber held over Ezra’s throat.

Kanan froze, his eyes fixed on Ezra.

“Surrender,” the Inquisitor said as he stared Kanan down.

“Kanan, don’t!” Ezra shouted.

“Let him go,” Kanan growled.

Ezra hissed in pain as the blade drew closer to his throat.

“Drop your weapon,” the Inquisitor said.

Kanan switched the blade off, letting his lightsaber fall to the ground.  A stormtrooper rushed toward him, wrenching his arms behind his back and cuffing his hands together.

The Inquisitor released Ezra, shoving him forward.  Another stormtrooper pulled Ezra’s arms back, and Ezra felt binders locking tightly around his wrists.

Something heavy hit Ezra’s back and he felt a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to his knees beside Kanan.  As Ezra looked up, he could only just see the _Phantom_ in the distance, a dark speck in a sky just turning red as the sun began to rise.

“Kanan,” he said.  “I’m sorry.”

“This isn’t --”  Kanan’s words were cut off by a blow to the head as a stormtrooper struck him with the end of their rifle.

“No talking,” the trooper said.  Ezra growled and moved to stand up.

“Don’t,” Kanan told him.

Ezra froze, his eyes darting between the blasters now pointed at him, and settled back onto his knees.  He glanced at Kanan beside him, and felt Kanan reaching out to him through the Force, like he was putting an arm around his shoulders, trying to reassure him without words that everything would be okay.  But underneath his attempts to stay calm, Ezra could feel his fear; his fear that the plan had failed, that all of this had been for nothing, that he had just gotten his padawan killed.

Ezra pushed back against that thought, holding out the same comforting feeling that Kanan was extending to him.

_We’re not going to die_ , Ezra thought, even knowing Kanan couldn’t hear it.  Even knowing he might be wrong.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning for: torture; references to past child abuse and torture; torture of a child (off-"screen")

Kanan and Ezra had been separated as soon as they arrived at the Imperial complex.  Ezra had been brought into a cell and restrained, metal cuffs over his wrists and across his chest holding him down.  He was alone now, though he could feel the presence of at least three guards outside the cell.  From where he was strapped down, he could clearly see the metal spikes that would no doubt be sending jolts of electricity shooting through him soon enough.

He knew it was a tactic meant to scare him, and a painfully transparent one at that.  He tried to take comfort in that fact.  If he knew what they were doing, if he could see through their tricks, they wouldn’t work on him, would they?

But in spite of knowing what they were trying to do, Ezra could still feel his heart beating faster by the minute.  He strained against the cuffs, the cold metal edges biting into his wrists.  He could feel something pushing at the edges of his mind, something cold and dark.  He couldn’t tell if it was real, or just a memory.

Ezra held his breath, trying to break the rhythm of his rapid breathing and heartbeat.  He closed his eyes for just a second.  A mistake.  Even closing his eyes for that brief moment was enough to draw him back as he remembered cuffs around his wrists, chained to the wall behind him while --

He opened his eyes again, biting down on his lip to pull himself out of his memories.

_Get ahold of yourself,_ he thought.  _You can’t let them get to you._

But his heart still hammered like it was trying to break free of his chest.  He could feel the cold metal of the stunner against his chest in that second before Maul shocked him, feel the dull ache of bruises hours after they were inflicted, feel Maul trying to break through his shields, veins of ice reaching into his mind, hear Maul’s warning before it had started, _you cannot break._

“I won't,” he muttered.

The minutes seemed to drag by, though Ezra had no way of knowing how many had passed.  His only way of marking time was counting the number of times he took a deep breath in and held it, trying to stop the train of thoughts that would end with him being dragged back into his memories.  He knew he had to have been there for several hours when he began to feel something, like scratching at the back of his mind.  The scratching feeling grew stronger, more insistent, more determined.  It was quickly followed by fear.  Fear that wasn’t his, but coursed through him like it was.

“Kanan,” he gasped.

He could feel it through their bond.  Kanan was in pain, and it was only getting worse.  His pain tore at the back of Ezra’s mind, claws sinking into him and holding on tight.  He struggled against his restraints, barely even realizing he was doing it, desperate to make the pain _stop_.  He didn’t know if that feeling belonged to him or to Kanan, but it didn’t matter.  He bit down on the inside of his cheek to stop himself from crying out.  He just wanted it to end.

* * *

 

Kanan’s breath came in shaking, ragged gasps.  He didn’t know how long he’d been here, only that by this point, it had been several days.  And he hadn’t seen or heard anything to tell him what had happened to Ezra.

“It’s only a matter of time before he breaks,” Kallus said.  Kanan heard his voice like there was something blocking his ears.  He wanted to shoot a defiant glare at the Imperial agent, tell him he would never break, they would never get him to turn on his crew, but he couldn’t summon the strength to speak.

“You have wasted enough of my time,” Tarkin said, irritation clipping through his voice.

There was a _hiss_ as the cell door opened.  Kanan managed to open his eyes and lift his head up just enough that he was able to see the Inquisitor enter the cell, his icy presence filling the room, the cold digging under Kanan’s skin.

“You are no doubt unaware that Jedi are trained to resist mind probes,” the Inquisitor said, his voice cold and calculating as he observed Kanan.

“If he is the Jedi he claims to be,” Tarkin said.  “I take it you have a solution.”

The Inquisitor smiled, and Kanan’s mind was gripped by panic.

“Pain,” the Inquisitor said.  “A Jedi still feels pain.  And pain can break anyone.”

He crossed the cell, one hand reaching out.  Kanan braced himself for what he knew was coming.  Shadows pressed in on his mind, hammering against his shields, as pure agony coursed through him, as if every painful pressure point in his body was being pressed on at once while something so cold it burned was being run over his skin.

“You will tell me where to find your rebel friends.”  The Inquisitor’s voice wasn’t just coming from in front of him; it was inside his head, the words threading their way through Kanan’s mind.

“No,” Kanan muttered through gritted teeth, focusing all his strength on keeping his mental shields up.  As hard as he pushed back against the Inquisitor’s attack, he could feel the Pau’an’s presence in his head, could see something forming in his mind’s eye.  A vision.  Ezra, on his knees, his hands cuffed behind his back, terror in his eyes just before a red blade pierced his chest.

“No!” Kanan said again.  “Not him.”

_It’s not real_ , he told himself.  _It’s not real.  He’s trying to get you to talk.  It’s not real._

“What do you see?” the Inquisitor asked as another vision of Ezra, screaming as a burning red blade was dragged slowly across his skin, surfaced in Kanan’s mind.

“I see…”

_Not real._

Kanan latched onto that thought, pushing all his willpower into strengthening his shields, destroying the vision and locking the Inquisitor out of his mind.

“I see…you,” Kanan said, “growing more and more frustrated.”

“Perceptive,” the Inquisitor said, drawing back from Kanan’s mind.  “Perhaps you can help alleviate my frustration.”

With a wave of his hand, the Inquisitor activated the machine Kanan was strapped in to.  Two metal arms extended toward him from either side, and Kanan screamed as electricity tore through him.

As the shock ended, Kanan was breathing heavily, barely able to hold his head up.

“I’m not telling you _anything_ ,” he said.

“If you won't tell me where the others are, maybe the boy will be more cooperative,” the Inquisitor said.

“No!” Kanan shouted.

“Tell me,” the Inquisitor said with a smile, “exactly how strong is your bond with your apprentice?  How much of his pain do you think you’ll be able to feel?”

“Leave him alone,” Kanan growled.

“If you want him to remain unharmed, then tell me where to find the other rebels.”

The thought of them hurting Ezra to get to him made Kanan want to break down and tell them the truth, that he didn’t know anything, but he knew if he broke now, and they believed him, then they would have no reason to keep him and Ezra alive.

At Kanan’s silence, the Inquisitor turned to Kallus.

“Deal with the boy,” he said.  “Make sure he stays alive and conscious, but beyond that, do as you wish.”

“No!” Kanan shouted as Kallus turned on his heel and left the cell.

Kanan shut his eyes, reaching out through the Force, searching for Ezra.  If he could at least warn him --

The Inquisitor immediately realized what he was doing and Kanan’s focus was shattered by another shock that drew out even longer than the first, tearing another scream from his lungs.  When it ended, as Kanan struggled to catch his breath, he felt a sharp spike of fear.  Ezra’s fear.  He could practically hear Ezra’s cry of pain echoing in his head.  He didn’t know what was happening to his padawan, but he could feel his pain like something pounding at the inside of his skull.

“Leave him alone,” he hissed.

“Tell me what I want to know,” the Inquisitor said.

“I _can’t_ ,” Kanan said through gritted teeth.  “I won't.”

“How long do you think he’ll last?” the Inquisitor asked.  “He is only a child, after all.”

“He’s stronger than you think,” Kanan growled, trying desperately to ignore the voice in his head asking him the same thing.  Ezra had already suffered so much that this could break him completely, and it killed Kanan to think that there was nothing he could do about it.  The Imperials thinking they had information about other rebels was the only thing keeping them alive.  If he cracked now, they would both die, assuming they believed anything he said in the first place.

Kanan reached out to Ezra once again, holding out that same feeling of comfort and strength he had silently passed to the kid when they’d been captured.  If he could just remind Ezra he was there, give the kid some of his strength, maybe he would make it through this.

His focus was broken once again by a shock; one that didn’t stop quickly like the others had.  It kept going and going, the electric charge ripping through him like knives being dragged across his skin.  Kanan’s vision blurred as Ezra’s pain and his own combined, crashing together, tearing him open from the inside out.

“The Jedi is no good to me dead,” Tarkin said.  A moment later, the shock finally stopped.  Kanan could feel tears welling up in the corners of his eyes and fought to keep them back.  He could still feel Ezra’s pain in the back of his mind, slamming against him in waves.

“His resistance is impressive,” the Inquisitor said.

“Yes,” Tarkin said with a small nod.  “He does possess the will of a Jedi of old.”

The Inquisitor hadn’t taken his eyes off of Kanan, and was now fixing him with a contemplative stare.

“Is it possible he does not know of any other rebels to speak of?”

_No._   Panic welled up in Kanan’s heart.  If they thought he didn’t know anything, they had no reason to keep him alive, and even less of a reason not to kill Ezra.

“Perhaps,” Tarkin said.  “I recommend we transfer him from Lothal to another location.  One that never fails to extract a confession.”

The sinister smile that crossed the Inquisitor’s face made Kanan’s heart leap into his throat.

“We should move the boy as well,” the Inquisitor said, the words as much a way to taunt Kanan as they were a suggestion to Tarkin.  “I believe he has information my master will be very interested in.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning for: references to torture of a child; references to death (hypothetical)

As Kanan was led toward a waiting shuttle, he caught sight of Ezra just ahead of him.  The kid was limping.  Ezra looked back over his shoulder as he sensed Kanan nearby, only to be shoved forward.  A cold spike of anger flashed through Kanan’s mind as he watched Ezra stumble before he found his balance again.

Kanan found himself wondering why the Imperials would transport them together or even let them see each other, but as they drew closer, he realized why.  There were fresh bruises on Ezra’s face and Kanan could see his face straining as he walked, like every step caused him pain.  Kallus had beaten him, or had the stormtroopers do it, and Tarkin or the Inquisitor had wanted Kanan to see the results, to show him the consequences of his refusal to tell them anything.

As Kanan was pushed onto the shuttle behind Ezra, he instinctively tried to reach out to comfort the kid, only for the binders around his wrists to stop him.

“Kanan, what’s happening?” Ezra whispered, his voice so quiet Kanan could barely hear him.  No one had told him anything.

Before Kanan could answer, a stormtrooper slammed their fist into Ezra’s stomach.

“Quiet,” they said as Ezra doubled over from the pain.  He was breathing much more heavily than Kanan would expect from one punch.  The trooper must have hit somewhere he was already injured.

At that moment, Kanan wanted nothing more than to put his arms around Ezra, to hold him and tell him everything would be alright.  But even if his hands weren’t cuffed behind his back, he knew that doing so would only get Ezra hurt again.  So he stayed still and quiet, reaching out through the Force to comfort Ezra.  He felt Ezra cling to his presence in the Force for a moment before withdrawing back into himself, keeping his gaze on the floor, not looking at Kanan.

Even with Ezra putting up walls to keep him out, Kanan could feel the kid’s fear pulsing through their bond like a heartbeat.  As the pain from Ezra’s injuries stabbed into him like a knife, Kanan decided to risk it.

“Ezra, I’m sorry,” he said, getting the words out as fast as he could.  Before he could say another word, he was struck over the back of the head.  Ezra flinched and let out a small whimper when he heard Kanan’s cry of pain.  Kanan could feel Ezra’s shields grow stronger, pushing him away, a spike of fear flashing through his mind.  He could practically hear Ezra’s voice in his head.  _Don’t make it worse._

“Either of them talks again, stun ‘em both,” one of the stormtroopers said.

* * *

 

Hera rested her head in her hands for a moment before looking back at the faded blue figure in the hologram.  The Imperials had bombed the communications tower to stop her team’s transmission, and with the tower destroyed, their attempts to hack into the Imperial data network to find Kanan and Ezra had failed.  And now, news of a hijacked Imperial walker had reached Fulcrum, who had apparently decided it was time to intervene.

_“Kanan and Ezra knew the risks,”_ Fulcrum said.  _“Accepted them.  I’m sorry, but you must focus on your next objective.”_

“But Fulcrum, they _are_ our objective,” Hera said as she began to pace around the room.  “We can still find them.”

_“At what cost?”_ Fulcrum asked.  _“You?  Your unit?  The overall mission?”_

Hera looked down at the floor, holding in a frustrated sigh.  As much as she hated to even think this way, Fulcrum had a point.

_“There’s something else, Hera,”_ Fulcrum said with a sigh.  _“The transmission you were able to beam out has attracted attention, not just from civilians, but from the highest levels of the Empire.”_

“It was Kanan’s plan,” Hera said.  “Guess it worked.”

_“Your mission was to remain unnoticed,”_ Fulcrum said.  _“And now --”_

“Kanan wanted to inspire people,” Hera said, turning to face Fulcrum again.  “He wanted to give them hope.”

_“Well, he was successful,”_ Fulcrum said, _“but if you are caught, that hope will die.  To protect your unit, the rest of you have to stop your search for Kanan and Ezra and go into hiding.”_

“If there’s even a chance they’re still alive --”

_“Hera,”_ Fulcrum said, their voice strained, like they were about to say something they didn’t want to say.  _“They’re Jedi.  The odds are good that they’ve already been killed.”_

“We don’t know that for sure,” Hera protested, crossing her arms.

_“I’m sorry, Hera,”_ Fulcrum said.  _“I really am, but --”_

“I understand,” Hera said, her voice hollow.  She hated it, but she _did_ understand.  Kanan and Ezra were important to her, but her mission here on Lothal was important and vital to a whole lot more people.  Kanan and Ezra both understood that, and had sacrificed themselves to make sure they survived to fight another day.

As she ended the transmission, Hera took a moment, steeling herself before she left her cabin.  As she walked toward the galley, where she could hear Sabine and Zeb’s voices, she focused on the words she was going to have to say to them, determined not to let her mind stray to what might be happening to Kanan and Ezra right now, if they were still alive.

As she entered the galley, she saw Sabine and Zeb staring intently at a holomap Chopper was projecting in front of them.  Sabine looked up and her eyes brightened when she saw Hera.

“We’re trying to come up with a new plan,” Sabine said.  “There has to be a way to find out exactly where they are.  I’m thinking if we can get into the Imperial complex itself --”

“We can’t,” Hera said.

“What do you mean we can’t?” Sabine asked.

“There has to be some way to find them,” Zeb said.  “Something we haven’t thought of yet.”

“We _can't_ ,” Hera said again.  “Fulcrum’s ordered us to stop looking for them and go into hiding, and they’re right.”

“But, Hera --”

“Sabine,” Hera said sternly, cutting her off.  “We can't go looking for them.  Not now.  We already attracted too much attention taking that walker.  Security is going to be increased all over the planet.  Anything we do is an even bigger risk than it was before.”

“We can’t just give up on them!” Sabine said, crossing her arms and glaring at Hera.

“I’m not,” Hera said.  “But we can’t help them if we get ourselves caught or killed.”

Sabine abruptly stood up and ran from the room.  Hera stepped forward, intending to follow her, only for Zeb to stand up.

“I’ll talk to her,” he said.  Hera nodded, knowing Sabine would respond better to anyone who wasn’t her right now.  She walked slowly back to her cabin, pressure rising in her throat as she closed the door behind her.  She shut her eyes for a moment, leaning back against the door.  She wanted nothing more than to turn around, burst into Sabine’s room, and tell her to forget what she’d said, that they were going after Kanan and Ezra, no matter the danger.

But Fulcrum was right.  She clung to those words like a life preserver.  She had a larger mission.  They all did.  And they couldn’t help Kanan, Ezra, or Lothal if they were caught.  Sabine had every right to be furious with her, but once she cooled off, she would understand.

When Hera opened her eyes, she saw the flashing light that indicated a missed transmission.  Hera rushed across the room, unsure of what she expected the message to say, but anxious to see it.  It was text only, written in the cipher only Fulcrum ever used.

_“They’re being moved to the Mustafar system.  Star Destroyer_ Sovereign. _”_

Hera’s eyes widened, locking onto the word _Mustafar._   If this intel was accurate, they had to move _now._

Hera turned on her heel and ran from the room, stopping outside Sabine’s door.  When she hit the switch to open it, she saw Sabine duck her head, trying to hide the fact that she’d been crying.

“What?” Sabine asked, trying to make her voice angry and harsh, but unable to keep a tremor out of it.

“I just got another transmission from Fulcrum,” Hera said.  “They found out where Kanan and Ezra are.”

“Why would they do that after telling you not to go after them?” Zeb asked.

“What does it matter?” Sabine said, all traces of anger and sadness gone from her voice.  She jumped to her feet.

“We’re going after them, right?” she asked.

“Yes,” Hera said.  “But they’re being held on a Star Destroyer.  We can't just go rushing in without a plan.”

“Chopper’s got a map of their basic layout,” Sabine said.  “That’s as good a place to start as any.”

Hera nodded, her mind half on Sabine’s words and half on the message from Fulcrum.  She had only ever heard of the Mustafar system once.  Kanan had told her about it.  He’d said it was where Jedi go to die.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning for: torture of a child; Force-assisted mental invasion; being forced to watch someone being tortured; death threat/threat of being forced to watch someone die

When the shuttle had touched down in the Star Destroyer’s main hangar, Ezra could feel Kanan reaching out to him again, holding out feelings of comfort and love and _apology_.  Ezra strengthened his shields, determined not to let his master see just how scared he was.  He regretted the decision as soon as the stormtroopers marched him off the shuttle and he lost sight of Kanan.

Now, he was locked in another cell, restrained just as he had been at the Imperial complex, and all he could think about was the possibility that he might never see Kanan again.  He could have just seen his master for the last time, and he had shut him out, all because he didn’t want to seem like a scared kid.

Ezra flinched as the door opened and the Inquisitor entered the cell, his freezing cold presence filling the room and snapping Ezra out of his thoughts.

“Might as well not waste your time,” Ezra said.  “I’m not telling you anything.  I won't give up my friends.”

“I’m sure you don’t know anything,” the Inquisitor said.  “Why would your captain or the Jedi tell you?  You’re just a child, and the apprentice of a Sith.  They wouldn’t trust you with anything important.  No, I’m not after information about the other rebels.  At least not from you.”

“Then what do you want from me?” Ezra asked.

“I want you to tell me who your master is,” the Inquisitor said.

Ezra forced out a small laugh.  “I’d have thought you would’ve figured that out, considering you brought us in at the same time,” he said.  “Guess you’re not as smart as I gave you credit for.”

As the Inquisitor took another step toward him, Ezra saw him remove a lightsaber from his belt.  Ezra’s lightsaber.  He activated it, the glowing blade casting a blood-red light over the room.

“I’m sure you know that when a student of the Dark Side builds their lightsaber, they have to make the kyber crystals work for them,” he said.  “The Jedi only use crystals that choose _them_ , while we bend the crystals and their power to _our_ will.  You bled this crystal yourself.  I can sense it.  You didn’t learn that from a Jedi.”

He brought the blade up under Ezra’s chin.  Ezra turned his head slightly and shrank back against the metal panel he was strapped to in a vain attempt to back away from the burning red blade.

“Now,” the Inquisitor said, “make this easier on yourself and tell me who your _real_ master is.”

“Kanan,” Ezra said.  “Kanan is.”

The Inquisitor could help but smile as he lowered the lightsaber.  The boy was clearly stubborn and defiant, even more so than the Jedi, but that would only make it all the more satisfying when he finally broke.  And he _would_ break.  They always did.  He would break and he would reveal the location of one of the most elusive enemies of the Empire.

There were reports of a fallen Sith Lord who had survived the rise of the Empire, and the Grand Inquisitor held no doubt that this boy was his apprentice.

“You will tell me the truth,” he said.  “You’re going to tell me where to find Darth Maul.”

Ezra’s heart skipped a beat.  How could he have figured it out?  Ezra took a breath, steeling himself before he spoke.

“Who?” he asked, glaring up at the Inquisitor, a silent challenge.

“You _will_ tell me,” the Inquisitor said again.

He reached out one hand and Ezra felt something pressing in on his mind, like a thick, heavy fog surrounding him.  Tendrils of ice spread into his mind, raking through it, searching, leaving searing pain in their wake.

“No,” Ezra muttered, pushing back against the dark presence invading his mind.  The Inquisitor only pushed harder, forcing his way through the barriers Ezra fought to hold in place.  “Stop.”

“If you want this to stop, then tell me where he is,” the Inquisitor said.

“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” Ezra said, his voice shaking.

“You can’t keep lying to me forever,” the Inquisitor said, his voice seeming to echo inside Ezra’s head.  “Spare yourself all of this and just tell me.”

Ezra gasped in pain as those veins of ice dug deeper into his mind and…stopped.  The Inquisitor pulled back and Ezra felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest, letting him breathe again, though his breath came in ragged gasps and his head was still spinning.  The Inquisitor was watching him like he was some kind of interesting specimen under a microscope.

“Not as easy as you thought it would be, is it?” Ezra asked, smiling a little in spite of the pain.  Maul had always told him his mind was built differently than most, and that it would give him an advantage when someone tried to force their way in.  After a while, it had stopped working against Maul, once he began to know Ezra too well, but the Inquisitor didn’t have that advantage.

“It doesn’t matter,” the Inquisitor said.  “I don’t need to break through your shields to get you to talk.  You still feel pain, don’t you?”

An electric shock tore through Ezra.  When it ended, he was gasping for breath, his heart feeling like it was trying to break its way out of his chest.

“Is that the best you can do?” he asked.

The Inquisitor’s answer came in the form of another shock.  Ezra let out a cry of pain as he felt like red-hot needles were piercing his skin.  Another shock followed it almost immediately, and another.  As the current was switched off, Ezra saw the Inquisitor looking at him expectantly.  If Ezra’s chest didn’t feel like it had just been stomped on by a rancor, he might have laughed.  If they thought he was going to crack that easily, they had another thing coming.

“I’m not telling you anything,” Ezra said, his words a little slurred from the pain.

Another shock struck Ezra, and with it came the Inquisitor’s dark presence in his mind again, battering at his shields, trying to force his way through them.  Those veins of ice reached into him, twisting around inside his head, while shadows surrounded him on all sides, suffocating him.  Ezra’s throat felt like it was burning and he realized seconds later that he was screaming.

When the pain ended and the Inquisitor pulled back from his mind, Ezra was left shaking, the restraints the only thing keeping him upright.

“There’s no point in trying to deny it,” the Inquisitor said.  “You _are_ Darth Maul’s apprentice.  Save yourself some pain and admit it.”

“I was,” Ezra said, his voice shaking.  “And if I survived being raised by him, then what makes you think I’d be afraid of you?”

“You can’t hide your fear from me,” the Inquisitor said, gripping Ezra’s lower jaw with one hand, forcing the boy to look into his eyes.  “You fear me, you fear the Empire, and you fear your own power, just like the Jedi.  It’s why you ran from your master, isn’t it?”

“I didn’t run,” Ezra growled.

“You ran,” the Inquisitor said as he released Ezra, his nails digging painfully into the boy’s skin as he pulled his hand away.  “And now you’re only inviting more pain on yourself to protect a master you have no loyalty to.”

“Anything to make your life a little harder,” Ezra said.

“Believe me,” the Inquisitor said, “this is anything but hard for me.”

With one small gesture, Ezra could see the controls for the machine he was locked into move, increasing the intensity of the shock he was about to receive.

“Wait,” he said, the word jumping from his throat before he could stop himself from saying anything.

“Yes?” the Inquisitor said expectantly.  His gaze was locked on Ezra.  Ezra knew he was enjoying this, the last few seconds before his victim broke down completely.

“I don’t know where he is,” Ezra muttered.  “I don’t know.  I haven’t seen him in months.”

The electrical current was activated again and Ezra screamed as he convulsed under another shock.

“I don’t know!” he cried desperately when the shock ended and he was able to breathe again.  “I swear, I don’t know where he is!”

“Where did you last see him?” the Inquisitor asked.

“I’m not telling you that,” Ezra said.  He didn’t care what the Inquisitor did to him.  He would rather die than draw more of the Empire’s attention to his home planet.

Ezra took a deep breath while he knew he still could and shut his eyes, bracing himself for the next shock.

* * *

 

_Coward._

The word echoed in Kanan’s head, burrowing deep into his mind, digging its roots in.  _Coward.  You ran.  Afraid of your own power.  You abandoned the Jedi Order._

Kanan shook his head, as if he could fling those thoughts from his mind if he tried hard enough.  But the harder he tried not to think about the Inquisitor’s words, the louder they became, drowning out everything else.

_You can't save your followers now._

Kanan had been prepared to die to protect his crew, right up until Ezra had gotten himself captured along with him.  The Imperials knew they could use Ezra as leverage against him, and if Kanan died, he had no reason to believe they’d let Ezra live much longer.

 _Damn reckless kid,_ Kanan thought, though he wondered if Ezra had really been being reckless, or if this had been a calculated move on his part, thinking that two of them had a better chance of escaping and surviving together, not realizing that Kanan had no intention of surviving this.

Kanan was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of the door sliding open as the Inquisitor entered the cell.

“Still not telling you anything,” Kanan said.

“I think I can persuade you to change your mind,” the Inquisitor said with a smile.

Kanan’s eyes widened as a stormtrooper entered the cell and threw Ezra to the ground in front of him.  Ezra struggled to sit up, his arms straining against the binders that held his hands firmly behind him.  He locked eyes with Kanan.

“Kanan, don’t tell him anything,” Ezra said, rushing to get all the words out before anyone could stop him.  “Whatever he does to me, don’t give the others up!”

Before Kanan could respond, the same metal spike that had been sending jolts of electricity through his body earlier swung around on a track above him and reached out toward Ezra.  Ezra cried out as he fell back to the ground, his body convulsing from pain.

“Ezra!” Kanan shouted, pulling against his bonds.  Of course it didn’t do any good.  He couldn’t do anything to stop this, except tell the Inquisitor what he wanted to know, which was information Kanan didn’t even have.

“Kanan, don’t,” Ezra whispered, his teeth gritted against the pain.  He had no idea that Kanan didn’t know anything.  He screamed again as another shock ripped through him.

“You can stop this,” the Inquisitor said, circling around Ezra and closing in on Kanan.  “Tell us everything you know about the other rebels and I’ll let the boy live.”

Not one second after the shock ended, the third began.  Ezra’s screams echoed through the air, the sound burning itself into Kanan’s mind.  Ezra lay on the floor, limp as a ragdoll, his breath coming in slow, shallow gasps.  Kanan could see tears on his cheeks and blood dripping from where he’d bitten his lip as he convulsed.  Kanan knew Ezra wouldn’t be able to take much more.  He was just a kid, and Kanan knew on instinct that the Inquisitor had already been torturing him before bringing him in here.

The shock was followed by another, and another.  Kanan couldn’t look away.  He pulled against his restraints, shouting for them to _please stop_ , but there was nothing he could do.  He didn’t have the information they wanted.  He was trapped, helpless, while the Inquisitor tortured his apprentice, his _son_.

Ezra screamed again as yet another shock hit him.

“Please!” Kanan shouted.  “Don’t do this!  He’s just a kid.”

To Kanan’s surprise, the electrical current was shut off.  After a moment, Ezra’s screams died down, though quiet whimpers of pain still echoed off the room’s metal walls.

“You’re right,” the Inquisitor said.  He crossed the room and leaned down, one hand tangling in Ezra’s hair, hauling the boy up so he was on his knees between them.  Ezra slumped forward slightly, unable to hold himself up.  The Inquisitor’s grip on him was the only thing keeping him from falling.

“Perhaps the kind thing to do would be to kill him quickly.”

There was a loud _hiss_ and the room was illuminated by the red glow of the Inquisitor’s lightsaber.

“No!” Kanan shouted.  He struggled against his restraints, desperate to break free, but the damned things wouldn’t budge.  He could see the fear in Ezra’s eyes.  He was conscious and aware of what was happening, but he didn’t have the strength to defend himself.

“Tell me about the other rebels,” the Inquisitor said, moving the blade closer to Ezra’s neck.  “Where are you based?  How many of you are there?”

“I don’t know anything!” Kanan said.  “I don’t.”

The red glow vanished as the Inquisitor switched off his lightsaber.  He released his hold on Ezra, who fell back to the ground.

“I believe you,” he said as he turned away and opened the door.

“Take the boy back to his cell,” he told the two stormtroopers who stood outside the door.  They entered the room and grabbed Ezra’s arms, half carrying, half dragging him away.

“What are you going to do to him?” Kanan asked, his voice almost shaking.

“A Force sensitive child who has already embraced the Dark Side _and_ already had training?” the Inquisitor said, a smile on his face as he turned back to face Kanan.  “I’m sure we’ll find some use for him.”

He left the cell and the door slammed shut behind him, leaving Kanan alone with nothing but the crushing weight of his own guilt once again.

“I’m sorry, Ezra,” he said quietly.  “I’m sorry.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning for: references to death (hypothetical)

“Keep the engine running,” Hera said.  Chopper acknowledged her order with a quick buzzing sound and a salute that anyone who wasn’t a member of the crew wouldn’t have been able to tell was sarcastic.

Sabine powered up the fusioncutter and began cutting through the metal where they had attached to the Star Destroyer’s hull.

“Wish we had a lightsaber right about now,” she grumbled as she slowly made progress in cutting open their entrance.

Hera nodded.  The metal Sabine was cutting through was thick and fusioncutters weren’t nearly as powerful as lightsabers, but this was all they had, unless they wanted to immediately attract attention to their position with an explosion that could easily damage the _Ghost_ as well.  The electromagnetic pulse they’d set off in the main hangar should have knocked out the stormtroopers within its range, but the blast wasn’t strong enough to affect everyone on the Destroyer.

Finally, Sabine had cut a hole large enough for them to fit through and led the way onto the _Sovereign_ with Hera and Zeb right behind her _._   Hera breathed a sigh of relief as she saw that all the stormtroopers in the corridor they had broken into were unconscious, caught in the EMP blast.

Sabine stayed in the lead as the three of them ran down the corridor.  She knew Imperial ships better than the others and could lead them to the detention block.  As they ran, Hera heard Chopper calling to her through her commlink, warning her about the two shuttles full of stormtroopers that had just landed in the main hangar.

“Reinforcements already?” she asked.  “That was fast.”

“Don’t worry,” Sabine said, glancing back over her shoulder.  “On a ship this big, it’ll take them a while to find us.”

Sabine was proven wrong as they rounded a corner to find four troopers racing toward them.  Hera fired twice, hitting one of them in the chest.  As the soldier fell backwards into one of their comrades, Hera, Zeb, and Sabine turned around and ran back the way they’d come.  As another stormtrooper spotted them, they diverted into another corridor, Hera hurriedly hitting the controls beside the blast doors and sealing them, putting a barrier between her team and the Imperial forces.

“What now?” Sabine asked.

“Now, we find another route to the detention block,” Hera said.

“There _is_ no other route,” Sabine said.  “Not from here, anyway.”

“Sabine and I can draw them away,” Zeb said, turning to Hera.  “We’ll meet you back at the _Ghost_ when you have Kanan and Ezra.”

“Good luck,” Hera said, nodding.  She ducked to the side, pressing herself against the wall so she was out of sight of any stormtroopers in the corridor as Sabine opened the blast doors.  Zeb went charging out first, firing a blast from his bo-rifle, with Sabine following, her blaster in one hand, a smoke bomb in the other.

Hera waited until the sound of blaster fire was far enough in the distance before she crept forward, looking around the corner to check for the presence of stormtroopers.  Seeing the corridor was clear, she took off at a run.

When she reached the detention block, the hallway was abandoned.  With no guards stationed at any of the doors, she’d have to check each cell one by one for Kanan and Ezra.  If they were being held somewhere else…well, she’d cross that bridge if she ever came to it.

Hera’s heart sank with each door she opened that led her to an empty cell.  What if they were being held in another part of the ship?  What if Fulcrum’s intel had been wrong and they weren’t here at all?  What if they’d already been taken down to the planet’s surface?  What if she was too late and they were already dead?

* * *

 

Kanan was going to die.  It was just a matter of when.  If it had just been him who’d been caught, he wouldn’t have cared, but now he was going to die and leave Ezra in the hands of the Inquisitor, and he couldn’t stop it from happening.

Those facts weighed on his mind as Kanan stared blankly at the dull grey walls of his cell.  He had no one to blame but himself.  He had tried to teach Ezra to be a Jedi, and if there was one thing Jedi were good at, it was sacrificing themselves for others.  He could have stopped the kid, could have made him follow Zeb and Sabine back into the tower, but he didn’t.  He had let this happen.

Kanan heard movement outside his cell and his heart pounded as he realized this must be the end.  The only reason the Inquisitor or anyone else would have to come back into this cell would be to kill him.

_Death, yet the Force,_ he thought to himself.  He had been prepared to die, and now he was going to.  His heart might stop, but that didn’t mean Ezra would lose him.  Kanan wouldn’t let that happen, not even in death.

The door opened and Kanan’s breath caught in his throat as he saw the figure framed by the light of the hallway.  Hera’s face was a mix of joy and relief as she shoved her blaster into its holster and ran to his side.  She pulled the restraints away from his wrists and chest and threw her arms around him as he stumbled forward.

“How are you here?” Kanan asked, returning her embrace, one hand moving to the back of her head and gently caressing one of her lekku as she leaned her forehead against his shoulder.

“I’ll explain it all later,” she said.  Her arms tightened around him for a moment before she stepped back, concern in her eyes as she looked him over.  “Now, let’s go find our kid.”

Kanan stumbled through the door, feeling for Ezra’s presence in the Force.  He found it almost immediately; dark, twisted around like vines twining around each other or the roots of a cluster of weeds, almost drowning out the burning, bright core of light that lay within it.  Most people would have recoiled from the shadowed, cold presence, but Kanan latched onto it, recognizing it immediately as his boy.

He followed it across the hall and just a few doors away.  He reached out, unlocking the door and pushing it open with his mind.  Hera following right behind him, he entered the cell.  Ezra was restrained just as Kanan had been, his head hanging forward.  Even just a quick once-over told him Ezra was much worse off than he was.

Acting in unison, he and Hera rushed forward and released Ezra.  He fell forward and Kanan caught him.

“No,” Ezra said quietly, weakly struggling against Kanan’s grip on him.

“Ezra, it’s me,” Kanan said.  Ezra froze at the sound of his voice.  Kanan could feel his struggle to process what he’d head and the flash of recognition that followed.

“Kanan?”

“Yeah,” Kanan said, gently resting his forehead against Ezra’s.  “Don’t worry.  I’ve got you.  We’re going home.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning for canon-typical violence; character death

Hera could hear stormtroopers closing in on the detention block from the direction she’d entered it.

“Other way,” she said.  She drew her blaster as she took the lead down the corridor.  Kanan and Ezra trailed behind her, Kanan supporting Ezra as the kid stumbled along beside him.

“It’s okay,” Kanan said.  “We’re almost there.”

Hera palmed open a door ahead of them, her weapon raised, ready for anything that might be on the other side.  It wasn’t until the door had slid shut behind them that they saw him.  The Inquisitor, standing at the far end of the walkway, as if he’d been waiting for them.

Hera took her aim and fired.  The Inquisitor drew his lightsaber, easily deflecting the blaster bolts back toward Hera.  Kanan released Ezra and pushed him to the ground, out harm’s way.  He took advantage of the Inquisitor’s distraction and reached out, calling his lightsaber to his hand.  As his hand closed around the weapon, the blue blade sprang to life.

Hera stumbled back as the Inquisitor pushed through the Force, shoving her backward.  Kanan rushed forward, charging at the Inquisitor, a sudden burst of strength propelling him forward.  The Inquisitor caught the downward swing of Kanan’s blade on his own.

Ezra struggled to his feet and started forward, only for Hera to stop him with a hand on his arm.  As he watched, Kanan broke off his attack and lunged, thrusting his blade forward.  The Inquisitor dodged the attack, stepping past Kanan and pivoting, his lightsaber coming down in an arc toward Kanan’s back.  Kanan dove out of the way and turned, catching the red blade on his.

As the Inquisitor bore down on Kanan, trying to force him to the ground, Ezra spotted his lightsaber hooked onto the Pau’an’s belt.  He reached out, pulling the weapon to his hand.

“Ezra, don’t!” Hera said as he activated the blade.  Ezra pushed her away and rushed forward.  He was stopped in his tracks by a barrier in the Force as the Inquisitor held out one hand, the other still holding his blade locked against Kanan’s.  The Inquisitor ignited the second blade of his lightsaber.  Ezra felt the air tighten around him as he was pulled forward.

Kanan broke off his attack and brought his saber around, thrusting the blade forward to strike at the Inquisitor’s heart.  The Inquisitor dropped Ezra as he parried Kanan’s attack.  He spun the blades, striking repeatedly against Kanan’s and pivoted to block Ezra’s slash at his leg.  Ezra grunted in pain as the Pau’an kicked him in the stomach.  As he doubled over, the Inquisitor brought his blade around, swinging it toward Ezra’s neck.  Ezra heard blaster fire from behind him and ducked, dropping flat onto the walkway to dodge the blaster bolts as the Inquisitor deflected them back toward Hera.

The Inquisitor’s heel came down on Ezra’s wrist.  Ezra gasped in pain as his hand opened and he dropped his lightsaber.  He looked up to see Kanan behind the Inquisitor, his lightsaber raised.  The Inquisitor didn’t even need to look back to know the Jedi was there.  He threw out one hand, pushing Kanan back, throwing him against a support beam.

Ezra’s throat tightened as the Inquisitor reached out toward him.  He was dragged off the ground and suspended in the air for a few long, agonizing seconds before he was thrown backward.  He hit something and fell to the ground.  As he struggled to his feet, he realized it was Hera he’d been thrown into.  He reached out to help her to her feet.

Hera’s eyes widened as she looked into the space above Ezra’s shoulder.

“Look out!” she said.

Ezra turned to see the Inquisitor’s lightsaber spinning through the air toward him.  He stepped back quickly enough to dodge the worst of the blow, but a burst of pain split through him as the twin blades slashed across his face.  Ezra stumbled back, one hand flying to the burn on his cheek, only for the floor to disappear from beneath him as he stepped over the ledge.

Hera flung herself forward, catching Ezra’s forearm and holding tight with both hands as she strained to pull him back up.  Ezra caught the edge of the walkway with his other hand, trying to help her.  He glanced down only to see empty space below him, stretching out for hundreds of feet, the nearest walkway far enough away that if he fell, he would miss it.  When he looked back up, he gasped and almost let go of the ledge as he saw the Inquisitor standing over Hera, his blade slashing down into Hera’s shoulder.

Hera cried out, her grip on Ezra beginning to slip just before she was pushed over the ledge.

Ezra tightened his hold on Hera, pulling her close to him as they fell.  He pushed through the Force, against the wall, hoping against hope that his aim was right and they would fall onto the walkway he’d seen when he’d looked down as he hung from the ledge.  Something large and heavy hit his spine, then his head, and then…nothing.

* * *

 

Kanan ran forward, his eyes fixed on Hera, leaning over the ledge, unable to defend herself without letting go of Ezra.  Time seemed to slow down as the red blade came down in an arc, cutting into Hera’s shoulder.  Kanan could feel the ripple effect in the Force as the Inquisitor pushed Hera and Ezra over the ledge.

“No!” he shouted as he reached out, trying to catch them both as they fell.  The Inquisitor turned on him, throwing him back, farther down the walkway, breaking whatever fragile hold Kanan had managed to get on Hera and Ezra.

“That was a mistake,” Kanan growled.

“Why?  Because you have no one left to die for you?”

“No.  Because I have nothing left to fear.”

Kanan reached out, pulling Ezra’s fallen lightsaber into his hand and igniting the blade before he threw himself at the Inquisitor.

* * *

 

“Ezra!”

Someone was shaking his shoulder.  A warm, calloused hand patted his cheek.

“Come on, Ezra, don’t do this to me.”

Ezra opened his eyes and blinked a couple times as he processed what he saw.

“Hera?” he said, squinting up at her.

Hera breathed a small sigh of relief as Ezra sat up slowly, one hand pressed to his forehead in a vain attempt to stop the pounding in his skull.  She threw her arms around him.

“Scared you, huh?” he asked.  A small smile twitched across his face, but it was quickly replaced by a wince, his hand moving to his cheek and the two blackened, burning cuts that now marked it.

“Come on,” Hera said, helping Ezra to his feet.  “We need to help Kanan.”

Ezra looked up.  Far above them, he could see Kanan, his own lightsaber and Ezra’s in his hands, the blue and red blades flashing through the air as he drove the Inquisitor back toward a ledge over the Destroyer's reactor core.

“Something tells me he doesn’t need help.”

* * *

 

Kanan leapt over a control panel, kicking the Inquisitor square in the chest and sending him stumbling back a step.  Kanan thrust the blue blade in his right hand forward.  The Inquisitor deflected the blow, but in doing so he took another step back, bringing himself right to the ledge.

“You were right,” Kanan said, taking a step forward as he raised both blades in his hands.  “I was a coward, but now I know there’s something stronger than fear.  The Force.  Let me show you how strong it is.”

Kanan brought both blades forward, slashing through the Inquisitor’s lightsaber.  The Pau’an stumbled back, falling over the ledge.  He reached up, clinging to the edge.  Kanan stared down at him, blades crossed.  One slash across his arm and he would fall.  Beneath them was the ship’s reactor core.  There was no chance he’d survive that.

Sparks flew and the blaring sound of an alarm split through the air as the pieces of the Inquisitor’s lightsaber fell into the reactor core.  A surge of electricity burst forth, shaking the platform where Kanan stood.

“You have no idea what you’ve unleashed here today,” the Inquisitor said.  It almost sounded like a warning more than a threat.  “There are some things far more frightening than death.

Kanan knew what was about to happen just before it did.  The Inquisitor released his hold on the ledge, letting himself fall into the burning core beneath them.  Kanan watched as he fell.

“Kanan.”

Kanan turned around at the sound of the voice, his breath catching in his throat as he saw Ezra behind him, leaning on Hera for support.

“I thought I lost you,” he said.

“I know the feeling,” Ezra said with a weak smile.

“Let’s go home,” Hera said.

As they moved toward the nearest door as quickly as they could with Ezra and Kanan’s injuries slowing them down, Sabine’s voice came through Hera’s comm.

_“Spectre Two!  The_ Ghost _is gone.  Spectre Four and I are headed for the main hangar.”_

“What do you mean the _Ghost_ is gone?” Hera asked.

_“She means it’s gone,”_ Zeb said, his voice almost drowned out by the sound of the evacuation alarms.  _"Damn scrap heap abandoned us.”_

“We’re coming to you,” Hera said.  “If we’re not in the hangar by the time you get there, you leave without us.”

_“Not happening,”_ Sabine said.

“That’s an order, Spectre Five,” Hera said.  She didn’t wait to hear Sabine’s protest before ending the transmission.

“You know she’s not gonna listen,” Kanan said.

“Zeb will,” Hera said.  “Or he’d better.”

They weren’t far from the hangar when they heard Sabine’s voice again.

_“Where are you?”_ she asked, worry threading through her voice.

“We’re on our way,” Hera said.  “Go!”

“I told you, we’re not leaving without you guys!” Sabine insisted.

“Just listen to her,” Kanan said.  “Don’t worry about us.  Someone has to make it out of here, now _go_.”

* * *

 

When they reached the hangar, no one seemed to be paying attention to them.  Stormtroopers and officers raced through the hangar, making their way to shuttles and escape pods.  There was no sign of any pilots, and all the TIE fighters were gone, likely chasing after Sabine and Zeb.  All except one of them.

“The Inquisitor’s TIE,” Kanan said as his eyes fell on the remaining fighter.

“Well, we know he’s not using it,” Ezra said.

“You know, kid, you still worry me sometimes.”

Hera just shook her head with a small sigh as she led the way to the TIE fighter.

“Boost him up,” Hera said as she scaled the side of the fighter, knowing Ezra was probably too badly hurt to climb up by himself.  Kanan slid his arms around the kid’s waist and lifted him toward Hera.  Hera grabbed his hands and Ezra braced his feet against the side of the fighter to help pull himself up.

Hera helped him into the fighter and slid into the seat.  As she began the startup sequence, Kanan dropped in beside Ezra, who pressed himself against the wall as the fighter grew more cramped with three people packed inside it.

Kanan reached over, his hand briefly closing around Ezra’s arm and giving a comforting squeeze.

“It’s almost over,” he said.

As Hera flew out of the hangar, they emerged into a swarm of other TIE fighters.  She swerved to the left to avoid a collision with a fighter.  As she sped toward the brightly-colored TIE fighter Sabine was flying, none of the other pilots fired on them, not realizing Hera wasn't one of their own.

Hera closed in on a TIE fighter on Sabine and Zeb’s six that was firing off blasts Sabine was just barely avoiding.  As she drew closer, she fired two shots from the cannons.  The enemy fighter careened to the right, smoke trailing from its engine.

“That was us,” Hera said into her comm.  “We’ve got your back.”

_“Doesn’t really matter if we can’t get out of here,”_ Sabine said.

“Working on it,” Hera said.  “Spectre Three, we’re gonna need to get out of here fast.  Send a signal so we can link up for hyperspace.  Do you read?”

Her question was greeted with nothing but silence.

“Chopper’s not answering,” she said.

Hera whipped the TIE fighter around, turning a 180 and firing again, trying to drive off the other TIEs that were closing in on them.  Ezra instinctively reached for Kanan’s hand, but pulled back when he realized what he was doing.  Kanan took his hand anyway.

“Kanan,” he said, “if we don’t get out of this --”

“Don’t,” Kanan said, his hand tightening around Ezra’s.

“Thank you,” Ezra said, his words almost drowned out by the roar of the engines.

“We’ve got ships coming out of hyperspace,” Hera said, her voice steady even as Ezra could feel her anxiety pulsing through the small space they were all trapped in.

Seconds later, a ship appeared ahead of them.  Not a Star Destroyer.  Not any kind of Imperial ship that Ezra had ever seen.  And it was firing at the TIE fighters.  Another ship emerged from hyperspace beside it, and then…

A smile spread across Hera’s face as the _Ghost_ appeared.  Chopper’s distinctive binary voice came blasting through Hera’s comm.  Ezra couldn’t understand what he was saying, but he was obviously pleased with himself.

“I will never doubt you again,” Hera said.  “Sabine, link up with someone.  I’ll cover you.”

The air inside the TIE seemed to grow lighter as Hera laid down cover fire while Sabine sped toward the _Ghost_.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning for: reference to head injury

Hera leaned against the doorframe, watching as a medic shined a small light into Ezra’s eyes, checking him for signs of a concussion.  Kanan had insisted the medic see to Ezra first, correctly stating that the kid was worse off than he was.  Still, it seemed that with time and rest, Ezra was going to be okay.

“You did an incredibly brave and foolish thing today,” a voice said from behind her.  It was strange for Hera to hear Ahsoka’s voice without the distortion she used in her transmissions as Fulcrum.  The cadence and tone were familiar, but the pitch was higher and she came across a lot softer.

“I’m pretty sure that’s what we do every day,” Hera said.

“I’m just glad you all made it out in one piece,” Ahsoka said.

“So am I,” Hera told her.  She turned around to face Ahsoka.  “Is there somewhere we can talk in private?”

Ahsoka looked at her quizzically for a moment before nodding.

“Follow me,” she said.  “On a ship this size, there’s usually some empty space somewhere.”

It didn’t take them long to find an empty room that seemed to be being used for storage, judging by the few crates shoved into the corners.

“Is something wrong?” Ahsoka asked once the door was shut behind them.

“No,” Hera said.  “I just wanted to say thank you.  I know you were probably going against orders from your superiors when you sent me that intel, but you helped me get my family back together.”

“What intel?” Ahsoka asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“Your transmission telling us Kanan and Ezra were being moved to Mustafar,” Hera said, her already-low voice dropping almost to a whisper, just in case someone was walking past the door who might overhear.

“Hera,” Ahsoka said slowly, “that wasn’t me.”

Now it was Hera’s eyes that narrowed as she stared at Ahsoka, trying to determine whether she was telling the truth or was trying to maintain plausible deniability.  Hera carefully thought through every that had happened.  It had been such a short time between Ahsoka’s original transmission and the intel about Kanan and Ezra.  Why would she send them in quick succession like that?  And why directly, if she was trying to cover the fact that it was from her?  No, someone else had to have sent that transmission.

“Hera, what’s wrong?” Ahsoka asked, picking up on Hera’s distress.

“Nothing,” Hera said.  “It’s…I don’t know yet.”

“You’ll tell me as soon as you do?” Ahsoka asked.  “If someone else is using our codes, we need to stop using them and find out who cracked them and how.”

Hera nodded.

“I should check on Kanan and Ezra,” she said.  She turned and left the room, her feet automatically leading her back toward where she had last seen the two other members of her crew.

As she walked, she thought back to the message.  How could she have been so stupid to just assume it had really been from Fulcrum?  She tried to reassure herself that she wasn’t being stupid, she’d just wanted to save Kanan and Ezra and bring them home.  Anyone else would have done as she did, and not given the message any more thought.  But telling herself that didn’t help.  She  _wasn’t_  just anyone else.  She was the leader of their crew, and it was on her to make sure they didn’t go running headlong into danger based on suspicious intel.  She should have realized…

The thought died in her mind when she turned the corner and saw Kanan.  Yes, she’d had a lapse in judgement.  Yes, she’d been fooled by a message that wasn’t from who she thought.  And yes, they could have gotten killed.  But they didn’t, and the intel was right, and Kanan and Ezra were home, and that made the risk worth it in the end.

“Ezra still here?” she asked.

“He just left,” Kanan said.  “He’s still really shaken up.”

“Probably for the best,” Hera said.  “We need to talk.”

“What’s happened now?” Kanan asked with a small grin.  The smile faded when he saw the serious look on her face.

“We were able to rescue you because someone told us you were being moved to Mustafar,” Hera said as she and Kanan fell into step beside each other, walking back toward the hatch that connected the  _Ghost_  to the ship they were currently on.  “We thought it was Fulcrum.  Whoever it was, they had her codes and they knew how to contact me, but Ahsoka doesn’t know anything about it.”

“So we’re compromised,” Kanan said.  “Do you have any idea --”

“None,” Hera said.  As she glanced over at Kanan, she saw a thoughtful look cross his face.

“What are you thinking?” she asked.

“No,” Kanan said.  “Doesn’t matter.  It doesn’t make any sense.”

“What?” Hera said, her tone more insistent.  “If you think you know who it was, I need to know.  Our operation  _could_  actually be compromised.”

“I told you, it doesn’t make sense,” Kanan said, “but I just have this feeling.  What if it was --”

“How could he have known?” Hera asked, realizing what Kanan was about to say.

“And why would he even have told you?” Kanan asked.  “Why not just rescue Ezra on his own and leave me to die?”

“What should we tell Ezra?” Hera asked.

“Nothing,” Kanan said.  “We don’t know anything yet.”

Hera nodded.  “I just hope we’re wrong,” she said.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning for: Force-assisted mental invasion; references to torture and child abuse

Ezra leaned against the wall beside him, his forehead resting on the cool metal, a blanket pulled tight around his shoulders.

As they had escaped the Star Destroyer, Ezra had managed to hold himself together, falling back into the familiarity of just trying to survive.  Once they’d made it back to the  _Ghost_ , he’d begun to fade fast.  Kanan had told him to let one of the medics stationed on the blockade runner check out his injuries, and Ezra hadn’t argued.  He was so far gone, Kanan could have led him to the edge of a bridge and told him to jump and Ezra would have obeyed.

The moment he had been cleared by the medic, he had stumbled through the hatch connecting the  _Ghost_  to the other ship and hidden himself away in the storage hatch in the cargo bay, rather than go to his bunk.  He would have crawled into the air vents if just thinking about it didn't make his entire body ache, but this was a close enough alternative.  It was enclosed and dark and surprisingly warm, and most important, it was quiet and free of other people.

Ezra closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, trying to clear his mind.  It was always so much harder after situations like this.  Not that he’d ever been in a situation quite like this before.  Even when Maul had taught him to resist interrogation --  _you didn’t resist,_  a small voice in his head told him -- he had always known it would end eventually, and there had never been someone else’s life at stake.

He shook his head, trying to force those thoughts out of his mind.  Kanan was fine.  Maybe not fine right now, but he would be.  Ezra breathed deeply again and held his breath for a moment before letting the air out of his lungs, focusing on his breathing, pulling the blanket tighter around himself as he tried desperately not to think about anything that had happened over the last few days.  He barely even registered the fact that he was drifting off before he fell asleep.

* * *

 

When Ezra’s eyes opened, he was greeted by darkness.  He was on his knees in the middle of a dark room, his hands cuffed behind his back.  He knew this place.  He’d been here before.  He was back --  _home; no, not home, this was **not**  home_ -- on the Death Watch base.

_This isn’t real,_  he thought.   _I’m on the_ Ghost _.  I’m dreaming._

It took him a moment to start wondering how he knew that.  He never realized his dreams were just that until he woke up.  As the thought crossed his mind, he was hit with the possibility that he was wrong.  But he  _couldn’t_  be here.  When he’d fallen asleep, he’d been on the  _Ghost_ , and they’d been in hyperspace.  This had to be a dream.  It had to be.

Even as he told himself that, panic surged up in his chest as he pulled at the binders around his wrists.  If this wasn’t real, why couldn’t be break free?  Ezra froze as he heard a familiar voice from the shadows.

“Didn’t I always warn you not to let your shields weaken in your sleep?” Maul asked as he stepped into Ezra’s field of vision.

_This is a dream,_  Ezra told himself.   _He can’t hurt you here.  He can’t._

But this wasn’t a normal dream.  Ezra knew that now.  He might physically be asleep on the  _Ghost_  but this was not  _just_  a dream.

“How are you doing this?” he asked, trying not to let any trace of his fear into his voice.

“You are my apprentice, Ezra,” Maul said, “and you are still bonded to me.  You didn’t think time and distance would break that bond, did you?”

“What do you want?” Ezra asked.

“I had to see for myself that you were alright,” he said, the concern in his voice making Ezra’s fear give way to fury.  “Mustafar isn’t a place you walk away from undamaged.”

“How would you even know I was there?” Ezra asked.

“You of all people know I have ways of getting information,” Maul said.  “And how do you think the others found you?”

“No,” Ezra said.

“Deny it all you want,” Maul said.  “You know it’s true.”

“They  _never_  would have gone to you for help,” Ezra said.

“They didn’t,” Maul told him.  “They just weren’t looking for you.  They only took action because I told them where you were.”

“No,” Ezra said again.  “You’re lying.”

“Our bond works both ways, Ezra,” Maul said.  “I am not lying to you.  I know you can sense it.”

Ezra felt something in his chest sinking as Maul began to pace around of him.  He tried to tell himself Maul had to be lying.  He  _had_  to be.  But Ezra knew he wasn’t.

“The people you think are your  _friends_  were ready to abandon you and leave you to your fate on Mustafar,” Maul said.  “They would have let the Inquisitors kill you, or worse, to safeguard a rebellion that will burn out long before the Empire does.”

Maul stopped pacing, standing behind Ezra, whose heart felt like it was trying to escape from his chest.

“Your captain called off the search for you until I told her where to find you,” he said.  “And even then, she wouldn’t have gone after you without thinking she had permission from her superiors.  You don’t matter to her, Ezra.  She’s only interested in your power.”

“And I’m supposed to believe that’s not what  _you’re_  interested in?” Ezra asked.

“If I was after someone with power, why would I have taken in an untrained nine-year-old boy?” Maul asked him.  “Why would I have waited for my chance at revenge, taking years to train you so you could have your chance, too?  It was never about your power, Ezra.”

Ezra felt Maul’s hand running through his hair and jerked forward, pulling away from his touch.

“Don’t!” he snapped.  “Just get out of my head!”

Maul walked around Ezra until he was in front of him and lightly cupped Ezra’s chin in his hand, forcing the boy to look up at him.

“I will never leave you, Ezra,” he said.  “I promised I would never abandon you, and I intend to keep that promise.  You can fight me all you want, but you are  _my_  apprentice, and one day, you will be back where you belong.”

* * *

 

“Ezra?”

“No!”

Ezra struck out blindly with his closed fist and connected with something hard.

“Careful!”

That was Kanan’s voice.  As Ezra opened his eyes, he saw Kanan crouched down beside him.  Ezra’s hand stung and he looked down to see fresh bruises forming along his knuckles.  He stared at them in confusion.

“You hit the wall,” Kanan told him.

“Bad dream,” Ezra muttered.  His head snapped up so he was looking directly over Kanan’s shoulder.

“No,” he said.  “It wasn’t.  It wasn’t just a dream.  I know this is gonna sound crazy, but he was there.  He was inside my head, I swear he was, and --”

“Hey,” Kanan said, putting his hand on Ezra’s shoulder.  “Breathe.  Just breathe and tell me what happened.”

“It was Maul,” Ezra said.  “He was…it was like I was actually there with him.  He was in my head, talking to me.  He said it was because of our bond.”

He spat the word  _bond_  out like poison.  He hated thinking about it, and talking to Kanan about it was even worse.  He knew logically that the bond had been formed long before he met Kanan, and he hadn’t had much of a choice in it, but even acknowledging its existence still felt like he was betraying Kanan somehow.

“He told me he’s the one who told Hera where to find us,” Ezra said.

Kanan didn’t respond, but in his silence, Ezra could feel something twitch in his mind.  Guilt?

“You knew,” he said.

“I didn’t,” Kanan said.  “I thought…maybe, but I didn’t know anything for sure, just what Hera told me.”

“What did Hera tell you?” Ezra asked.

“That someone sent her a message saying we were being moved to Mustafar,” Kanan said.  “She thought it came from Fulcrum, but Ahsoka said it wasn’t her.”

So Maul had been telling the truth.  Hera had gone after them because she thought Fulcrum had told her to do it.

_No,_  Ezra told himself.   _He’s manipulating you.  It’s what he does.  You **know**  that._  Hera wasn’t like that.  If she had stopped looking, she had a reason.  She knew what she was doing.  Hera always knew what she was doing.

“What is it?” Kanan asked.  Ezra shook his head.

“It’s nothing,” he said.  “It’s just…some things he said.  He was trying to make me think I can’t trust Hera.”

“He’s lying to you,” Kanan said.

“I know,” Ezra said.  “I know.”

Silence fell between them as Maul’s other words to Ezra echoed in his head.   _One day, you will be back where you belong._

“He’s going to come after me again,” Ezra said.

“He tell you that?”

“He didn’t have to,” Ezra said.  “He’s not going to stop until he gets me away from you.”

“I told you, I won't let him,” Kanan said.  “And I will keep telling you that until you can believe it.”

“I won't let him, either,” Ezra said quietly.  “I already lost one family, and I’m not letting him take me away from another.  I’m not letting him scare me into running back to him.  Or away from you.  I owe you that much.”

“Ezra, you don’t owe me anything,” Kanan said.

“Yes, I do,” Ezra insisted.  “You saved me when I didn’t even realize I needed it.  I tried to  _kill_  you and all you wanted to do was help me.  I owe you so much more than I ever owed him, but it’s not even about that anymore.  I’m not choosing you because I owe you, it’s because…I think I belong here.”

“I know you do,” Kanan said, his arms sliding around Ezra's shoulders and pulling him into a hug.  “And I am so glad you know it, too.”


End file.
